The present invention is in the field of seating devices, especially in the area of a meditation stool.
The present invention refers to a seating device for seating in a kneeling seating position including:                a seating surface for supporting the buttocks        a support supporting the seating surface against the floor, and        a foot rest for supporting the instep of feet resting on the foot rest        wherein the seating surface, for changing its incline, is able to roll in forward direction via at least one rocker encompassed by the support.        
A seating device of a meditation stool is known from the DE 20 2005 003 423 U1. The meditation stool that is described there shows a seating surface close to the floor, supported against the floor by a central column shaped support. The end of the column-shaped support that is supported by the floor is widened in T-shaped manner perpendicular to the seating surface. The meditation stool is for sitting in a kneeling position, wherein the lying instep is supported by a foot rest. In order to avoid disintegration of the intervertebral disc, when seated for hours on the stool, the disclosed seating device makes it possible to conduct small exercise movements. For this purpose, the T-shaped end of the support is curved, such that the seating surface can be slightly tilted in all directions in order to follow the subconscious little movements of the person on the stool by tilting in each of the compensating directions. To stabilize the construction, the column-shaped support is encompassed on all sides by the foot rest, wherein the distance between support and foot rest make small degree compensation movements possible. Additional possibilities for relieving pressure on the intervertebral discs by means of ergonomical adjustments of the seating device are not contemplated with that meditation stool. For easy transport of the seating device, the foot rest can be retracted under the seating surface.
Before this background, it is an aspect of the present invention, to provide a seating device of the afore-stated type, which has improved adjustments to ergonomic requirements of the seated person in order to realize a healthy and comfortable seating on the seating device.
This object is solved by means of the present invention in a seating device of the afore-stated type where the foot rest comprised in the seating device is configured and disposed at the seating device in such a way that, when adjusting the seating device to a ergonomically meaningful angle of the seating surface, the rocker is able to roll in forward direction in an unencumbered through the foot rest.
The invention is based on the realization that a comfortable and healthy seating in kneeling seating position is essentially realized by the individual adjustment of three parameters, namely, seating height, angle of inclination of the seating surface in forward direction and length of the thigh of the seated person. Depending on the length of the thigh of the seated person and predetermined seating height, an angle specific to the seated person between thigh and spine is chosen to upright the pelvis and to allow the spine to be held in a vertical position without force. The seating device according to the invention makes it possible to attain an ergonomically advantageous seating posture by means of a very precise adjustment of the seating surface tilt.
According to the present invention, this angle of the seating position is adjusted from a seating position in a dynamic way in that the tilting angle of the seating surface is adjustable at any time relative to the seating sensation. It is not necessary to leave the seating position in order to change and/or fix the tilting angle. This is based on the realization that an adjustment of the optimal tilting angle of the seating surface is not possible without being seated, as each time a seating position is taken, the effective seating height of the tilted seating surface varies.
When adjusting the tilting angle of the seating surface, a much larger angle area must be accommodated as compared to the movement of the seating surface during the small compensation movements according to the prior art. While the rockers roll in forward direction, the point of support of the rocker can be shifted in this direction. This depends on whether the rocker is supported stationary or movable. In the latter case, the rolling of the rocker across a significantly larger adjustment area of the tilting angle according to the present invention shifts the seating surface in forward direction. This leads to an inconsistent relationship between the seating height and the distance between the point of support of the knee and the point of support of the rocker, such that when adjusting the seating surface tilt by means of the movably supported rocker, this effect is to be taken into account.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to provide an improved seating device to obviate prior art shortcomings and to provide a secure, healthy and ergonomic seating device.